SYMBOLS

CHAPTER 15

Chakotay watched the scene with grave concern. He really wasn't sure how the events were going to play out. Kylani was unarmed. Surely the guard would see she posed no threat. Still, the guard took aim at Kylani, while Tuvok took aim at the guard with the Anawin weapon locked tight in his hands. Then Chakotay saw the guard's finger move on the trigger, and in that moment, he knew Kylani was lost.

He saw Harry dive at Kylani, only to drag her lifeless and blood drenched body to the ground with him.

Another shot sounded. Tuvok had fired at the last standing guard.

"No!" Harry yelled, his voice echoing through the bridge, as he grasped Kylani's limp body.

Tuvok held tight to his disrupter. He examined each of the guards' bodies in turn, before he hailed his security teams and conferred with them.

"All intruders are accounted for, either incapacitated or incarcerated," Tuvok reported.

The standoff was over.

Chakotay took a deep breath. The console and chair in front of him were covered in thin red trails of blood from Kylani's arterial spray, while several bloody rivulets continued to soak into the floor near his feet. He registered the bodies strewn haphazardly around the bridge. Three guards, one passenger, Captain Janeway and Neelix.

An influx of officers suddenly infiltrated the bridge to help sort out the chaos.

Chakotay watched Paris attempt to revive Neelix. He was pounding the Talaxian's body with his fist. Neelix had long ago stopped moving. His face was a pale lilac in color. For Neelix it was the color of impending, untimely death.

Chakotay briefly turned away from the scene. Not far away, Harry called out for help, as he clutched the young woman close, while the blood continued to drain from her body. Chakotay knew there was no way Kylani could have survived a disrupter shot at such close range.

Tuvok and his security team were removing the guards from the bridge.

Seven of Nine and Lieutenant Ayala had lifted the captain from where she lay unconscious on the floor, and were taking her to sickbay. They couldn't order a beam out with transporters off-line. Everything had to be done manually.

Paris was still tending to Neelix.

Chakotay could hear himself shouting commands. He had tuned out his feelings and gone on autopilot. Then he thought about the child. Tayna had been standing behind Kylani when the guard fired. Now she was nowhere to be seen.

"Tayna! Tayna!" His voice rang out through the bridge. He knew the child had disappeared sometime after the final lethal shot. He'd definitely seen her up until that point. He shouted the child's name, as he crawled around the smoky bridge on his hands and knees. He was trying to think like a child. Where might she hide? He had to find her.

Paris was still crouched down beside Neelix. He stopped his resuscitation technique to again search for a neck pulse.

"He's back!" Paris shouted. He raised his voice over the ongoing commotion. "I've got him back. He needs to get to sickbay now!"

A team of officers raced toward Neelix's body.

Chakotay tapped Paris on the shoulder. He yelled his words over all the background noise.

"Lieutenant, have you seen the child?" He'd scoured the bridge and still couldn't find Tayna.

Paris stood up and stretched his back.

"Sorry, Commander, what did you say?"

"I can't find the child," Chakotay repeated.

Together they checked under each console. Chakotay caught sight of Harry Kim. He was rocking back and forth in a sitting position with Kylani's body cradled in his arms. Harry had only known Kylani for a few days, but Chakotay sensed, from the depth of his anguish, the memory of the young Anawin woman would live with him for a long time to come. He placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.